


Of Times Gone By

by Warp5Complex_Archivist



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-01-23
Updated: 2008-01-23
Packaged: 2018-08-16 05:29:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8088982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warp5Complex_Archivist/pseuds/Warp5Complex_Archivist
Summary: Archer attends the launch of another Enterprise. Based on the bio on 4.18-4.19 "In a Mirror, Darkly." Crossover, TOS.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Kylie Lee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Warp 5 Complex](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Warp_5_Complex), the software of which ceased to be maintained and created a security hazard. To make future maintenance and archive growth easier, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but I may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Warp 5 Complex collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Warp5Complex).

  
Author's notes: **Disclaimer: Donâ€™t own â€˜em, donâ€™t make money off â€˜em.  
**  
Notes: According to Archerâ€™s bio on â€œIn a Mirror, Darklyâ€, â€œourâ€ Jonathan Archer attended the launch of Enterprise NCC-1701 in 2245, dying in his sleep soon afterwards. Memory Alphaâ€™s website gives the year of Archerâ€™s birth as 2112, making him 133 years old at the launch. I figured that by the mid 22nd century, humans can live past the century mark, but I also thought that Archer mightâ€™ve been one of the exceptions of living past 130. (McCoy did it in TNG, but thatâ€™s only because he kept replacing his vital organs).  
  
Captain Robert April (1701's first captain) is an Englishman. Sarah Poole was in The Star Trek Animated Series â€œThe Counter-Clock Incidentâ€ and later became Aprilâ€™s wife. And yes, George Kirk is James T. Kirkâ€™s father.  
  
Archerâ€™s last statement to April mirrors McCoyâ€™s line to Data in TNGâ€™s â€œEncounter at Farpointâ€.  
  
Spoilers: ENT â€œBroken Bowâ€  
  
Rating: K+  
  
Please R&R. Iâ€™d like to know what you think of this.  


* * *

****

Spacedock, 2245

â€œQuite the beauty, isnâ€™t she?â€

Jonathan Archer smiled as he saw the new _Enterprise_ floating in Spacedock. Captain Robert April had insisted on taking a shuttlecraft to his new command; it reminded Archer of the first time heâ€™d gotten to see NX-01 with Trip Tucker. He knew what was going through Aprilâ€™s mind at this moment.

â€œYes, she is,â€ Jon replied. â€œShe is definitely a beauty. I remember when Trip and I took the shuttlepod and saw the NX-01 before her launch, and Trip accidentally bumped the â€˜pod into the ship. He never did get around to repainting the hull.â€ He chuckled at the memory.

â€œTrip? You mean Commander Tucker, sir?â€

â€œYes. He was a brilliant engineer...and a good friend.â€ Jon missed his friend; Trip would have jumped at the chance to see this new Enterprise, with its new warp 9 engine...he could hear Tripâ€™s voice saying, _â€œHot damn! Donâ€™t think youâ€™re gonna pull me outta this engine room! Just gimme a tent and Iâ€™ll just camp out here. Tell the capâ€™n I wonâ€™t be a bother. Not much, anyway...â€_

Jon grinned to himself. Yes, Trip wouldnâ€™t be a bother, if Aprilâ€™s chief engineer had the patience of a saint. 

April smiled gently. â€œIâ€™m sure he wouldâ€™ve loved to see this ship.â€ The comm channel crackled with static, then Aprilâ€™s first officerâ€™s voice came on the line. As April replied to the hail, Jon heard the soft English accent underneath. April came from Coventry, not too far from where another familiar Englishman had been from, and again, Jon heard the voice from the past:

_"They have two settings: stun and kill... It'd be best not to confuse them."_ Malcolm Reed, long gone, but not forgotten. Archer wondered if April even had an Armory Officer. No, wait, they didnâ€™t call them Armory Officers anymore...

â€œShuttlebay One is ready for you, sir. Welcome aboard.â€

â€œThank you,â€ April replied. â€œPresident Archer is eager to see the old girl.â€

Jon gave the captain a sideways glance. â€œIâ€™m not President of the Federation anymore, Robert. You donâ€™t need to call me that.â€

â€œJust plain â€˜Misterâ€™ seems rather disrespectful, sir.â€ Aprilâ€™s blue eyes sparkled with humor. â€œHow _shall_ I refer to you, then?â€

Jon snorted. â€œI was â€˜Misterâ€™ Archer long before I was â€˜Presidentâ€™, â€˜Ambassadorâ€™, â€˜Admiralâ€™ or even â€˜Captainâ€™. Thatâ€™s fine. You remind me of your great-great-grandsire. He didnâ€™t know what to call me when I retired from the service, either.â€

â€œVery well. â€˜Misterâ€™ Archer it is.â€ April laughed. â€œAnd off the record, he called you â€˜that sodding idiot who never took enough security with him when he was traipsing around the galaxyâ€™.â€

â€œYes, that sounds like him.â€ Jonâ€™s voice was dry, but he felt another pang of long-forgotten grief.

April piloted the shuttle into the bay with a practiced hand. After the bay finished its repressurization cycle, he cracked the hatch and gestured for Jon to precede him. As soon as his feet touched the deck, about a hundred booted feet snapped to attention and the bosun blew his whistle.

â€œPresident, Captain on deck!â€ the bosun called out in a deep voice.

Jon glanced back at April with a bemused expression; the captain only shrugged. He addressed the sandy-haired man standing next to the bosun. â€œPermission to come aboard?â€

â€œGranted, sir.â€ The man saluted then extended a hand, which Jon shook. â€œCommander George Kirk, sir. First Officer.â€

â€œPleased to meet you, Commander Kirk,â€ Jon said. Kirk, in turn, introduced the members of the command staff. The chief medical officer, Doctor Sarah Poole, busied herself with checking Archerâ€™s vitals, as if she expected him to topple over at any minute. Her firm but gentle ministrations reminded Jon of another doctor of another _Enterprise_.

â€œI feel fine, Doctor Poole,â€ he said, not without a touch of irritation. â€œI can still get around.â€

â€œJust a precaution, sir,â€ she replied. â€œIt helps to be prepared, just in case.â€

â€œShall we show you around, sir?â€ April asked, before Jon could retort. 

â€œAfter you, Captain,â€ Jon replied. He was back on board an _Enterprise_ , and that mere fact energized him. He felt giddy with excitement and joy and didnâ€™t bother to hide it. He saw Doctor Poole and Captain April exchange amused expressions as he followed them with a spring in his step.

**********

There were so many changes. No longer did Jon have to duck his head in the captainâ€™s Ready Room or sidestep others in the halls. There was plenty of room to maneuver. Sickbay was larger and more spacious, with the latest medical technology.

â€œNo osmotic eels or Pyrithian bats, Doctor?â€ Jon teased.

â€œNo menagerie, sir,â€ Doctor Poole said with a smile, â€œbut we learned a lot from Phloxâ€™s writings and recommendations.â€

The Armory was now the Weapons Room, fully staffed by Security, but without a station on the Bridge for that purpose. Engineering was easily twice the size of Tripâ€™s Engineering, and the warp core a vertical column instead of a horizontal tube. Aprilâ€™s chief engineer seemed impossibly young to have gotten the position; then again, _everyone_ seemed impossibly young to Jon.

The lift could now move in two directions, both vertically and horizontally, to reach the various decks. It opened onto _Enterprise_ â€™s Main Bridge. Everyone snapped to attention as Archer, April, Kirk and Poole stepped onto the deck. â€œPresident, Captain on deck!â€ a voice shouted.

â€œAt ease, everyone,â€ Jon said. â€œIâ€™m just here for a brief visit.â€ He glanced around him and couldnâ€™t help but compare this Bridge with that long-ago Bridge. At least the captainâ€™s chair was in the same place, in the middle of the action. The helm station was forward, just like NX-01. When Jon looked in that direction, he swore he saw a grinning Mayweather in the chair, who swiveled around and waved at him.

The science station and communications were on the opposite side of NX-01's, to the right of the turbolift, where Malcolmâ€™s Tactical station had been. Engineering was to the left of the lift. A quiet voice murmured something in Vulcan, and Jonâ€™s head snapped in that direction. A young woman in a red uniform sat there with her back to him, long black hair piled on her head, receiver pressed into her ear. 

_Hoshi?_ He blinked as Hoshi Satoâ€™s image turned and smiled at him. Then he blinked again and Hoshi was gone, and Aprilâ€™s comm officer sat in her place. Jon sighed; his mind was playing tricks on him. Neither Hoshi nor Travis were actually there; Jon Archer was the last of the original _Enterprise_ Seven, had been for long time. He felt a pang of loneliness, but shoved it aside. It had no place today, on this happy occasion.

â€œ...And this is my Science Officer, Lieutenant Tâ€™Pris. Lieutenant, Mister Jonathan Archer, former captain of the Enterprise NX-01.â€

Tâ€™Pris glanced up at him. Jon was surprised at how tiny she seemed, but what startled him more was the cool but composed expression on the Vulcanâ€™s face that reminded him painfully of another Vulcan Science Officer.

â€œI am honored to meet you,â€ Tâ€™Pris said, giving him the Vulcan salute. â€œMinister Tâ€™Pau wishes me to send you her greetings.â€

Jon smiled as he returned the salute. â€œTell her thank you from me, Lieutenant.â€

â€œI shall.â€ Tâ€™Pris retreated back a step to allow her captain to move past her. _God, she even_ sounds _like Tâ€™Pol. Will the similarities ever end?_ Jon thought.

â€œSo, what do you think of her?â€ April asked brightly. â€œThink sheâ€™s shipshape enough?â€

Jon gave the Bridge another look. He saw the past and the future, the triumphs of years gone by and those to come. Captain April and his crew of the _Enterprise_ were taking up the mantle of exploration that Archer had begun, all those decades ago.

â€œI think sheâ€™s a beauty, Captain,â€ he finally replied. â€œTreat her like a lady and sheâ€™ll always bring you home.â€

**********

Jon Archer clapped along with the other dignitaries as he watched _Enterprise_ NCC 1701 leave Spacedock and head out towards the stars. He let out a deep breath of satisfaction. Another generation, another exciting era in Starfleet history. It was time to let others continue the tradition.

â€œSir, are you ready to go?â€ asked his aide.

Jon stared at his reflection in the window, calmer than heâ€™d ever been before. He noted the white hair, the wrinkles on his face, the slight tremble of his hands, the sudden weakness in his legs. But he was content. A new _Enterprise_ and the Federation were in good hands. 

It was time.

He turned to face his aide. â€œYes, Iâ€™m ready.â€  
********** 

**~Begin transmission~**

**United Federation of Planets Associated Press**

Today we mourn the passing of a great statesman in Federation history. Jonathan Archer, former Federation president, ambassador, and Starfleet officer, died in his sleep last night at his home in New York State. He was the captain of the original _Enterprise_ NX-01, and during his illustrious career, saved Earth from the Xindi probe and orchestrated the United Federation of Planets. He also was an honorary member of the Andorian Imperial Guard, being instrumental in forging an alliance with the Andorians, as well as countless other peoples. After retiring from Starfleet, Archer served as Starfleet ambassador to Andoria, Federation president, and consultant to the newest _Enterprise_ , NCC-1701, under the current command of Captain Robert April.

More than one person has commented on the auspicious timing of Archerâ€™s passing, just one day after _Enterprise_ â€™s commissioning and launch. It seems appropriate that such an accomplished man would have chosen this time, after passing the torch to the next generation.

Archer is survived by several great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. His funeral will be private, but a memorial is scheduled in San Francisco in two daysâ€™ time. Representatives from Vulcan, Andoria and Tellar have stated that they will be present to honor a man, whom they considered a friend.

**~End transmission~**


End file.
